Monday, June 29, 2015

I recently saw a news report that said more and more spouses in America are living with "sleep divorce" meaning that they sleep in different rooms. Perhaps one spouse snores, or tosses and turns... whatever the reason, more and more spouses are having happy marriages, but sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Well, I have shared on this blog before that Hubby and I do not sleep well when we do not sleep together. If one of us is out of town, or working late the other one does not sleep well, to quote Barbara Mandrell, "sleeping single in a double bed."

I have now been home for over a week, and honestly, I have found an exception to not sleeping well without my husband -- my old childhood bed.

The bed in my room at my parents house has been where I've slept from age two, when I outgrew my crib, to age twenty-seven, when I married Chris and was moved to sleeping in the guestroom with my husband. So, for twenty-five years I slept in my old bed... and all of those years, I slept alone!

The only reason I am sleeping in my old bed now is because Chris isn't here yet, and my old room is closer to the nursery. Plus my parents are having a party in a few days, and the guest room is being used for some party preparations.

For my entire life, I have never slept with anyone in my old bed... except the occasional slumber party guest when I was a kid, and so, now, as a married woman, it feels no different -- this is a bed where I sleep alone.

It has been very nice to get so much sleep during this week away from my husband whereas if I was in the guestroom, I would have tossed and turned without him every night.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Yesterday the Supreme Court made a very big decision... and decision very popular among my generation regarding same sex marriage. Although I try to steer clear of political topics on this blog, I am going to go ahead and share that I do not agree with the Supreme Court's decision. It is my right, as an American, to have an opinion that differs from my political leaders and my policy makers, and it is my right and freedom to say so in this blog.

Just because I disagree with a political decision from Washington, however, does not mean that I have the right to verbally attack the side that won, or call them names, or claim that they are wrong. I am happy for them as they celebrate something they've wanted for many years. This does not mean that I support the decision... but I can be happy for them at the same time I, personally, disagree with the court's decision. I also, very much disagree and disapprove of those who agree with my stance on this issue, but engage in name-calling, personal attacks and other slanderous behavior toward those who support the decision.

Why has my generation decided that just because someone disagrees with me, that person is not entitled to share their opinion? Why has my generation decided that we do not "Agree to disagree"? Why has my generation decided that when two sides disagree, we should not discuss the merits of the issue, but instead personally attack the people who hold the opinion with which we disagree? We are the land of the free, but my generation seems to think we are not free to disagree.

Last night, as I was writing this post, I was sad. NOT BECAUSE OF A COURT RULING... but because I was reading facebook status after facebook status saying that this individual was "Proud to be an American for the first time in years." Statements like that absolutely hurt my heart.

Yesterday, the courts did not agree with my opinion, but
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN because we live in a land where judges define policy peacefully.
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN because people can disagree with me, and have every right to do so.
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN because in the 31 years I have been alive, we have peacefully changed presidents four times and held eight peaceful presidential elections.
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN because we don't have to agree on everything. In fact, our country was founded on the expectation that we will not, and should not agree on everything. That is why we do not have a King, that is why we ELECT our leaders, and then in a few years, we ELECT them again.
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN because, in my 31 years, many policies have been passed, some of which I agree with, and some of which I do not... but they have always been passed through presidential, judicial, or legislative action -- never by riots, or torches, or mobs.

I am not so arrogant as to think that every opinion I hold should be the law of the land. I do not rule the world, and I do not rule America.

I do not agree with the ruling of the Supreme Court... but I am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, today and every day. I wish more people of my generation understood how lucky they are to be an American EVERY DAY -- not just on the days their policies win.

Friday, June 26, 2015

My incredibly sweet hubby completely surprised me yesterday. He sent me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers... that matched my bridal bouquet from four years ago.

He contacted the same flower shop that we used for our wedding four years ago, told them what he wanted, sent them a picture of my bouquet... and they created a beautiful four-years-later flower arrangement.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Four years ago today was a wonderful day. It was the day I made the best decision of my life, and the day the most joyful, challenging, fulfilling, and romantic chapter of my life began.

Four years ago today, I said, "I Do" to a man I loved more than anyone on earth... and today I love him more than ever before. Each year we become better at loving each other, better at serving each other, better at working as a team, better at dividing life's struggles and multiplying life's joys.

If asked, I would marry my husband again... and every day thereafter.

In other news, today is also the day, four years ago, that our loveable Lloyd Carr was born!

He is the most amazing dog, the perfect dog for our family. He is the best bed-warmer, guard dog, pillow, playmate, big brother, tennis-ball chaser, running buddy, baby-protector, cat teaser, scaredy-dog we could ever have imagined.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Well our beautiful bubbly baby girl is 17 months old today. She is keeping us so busy:

She is walking and running everywhere possible. She still will trip and fall when she runs, but she keeps running any chance she gets.

She is signing a little less and talking a little more -- she knows A LOT of words a combination of talking and signing, but she doesn't always use them. She will go through phases when all she wants to talk about are her bath toy animals (giraffe, lion, bear, tiger) and make the sounds that they make... but then a few days later, she doesn't want to talk about them and has moved on to talking about something else.

She has begun putting a few words together, with help -- like "More please", "Yes please", and "Good girl"

She loves playing the piano -- we acquired a piano a few weeks ago and Tracey Ann LOVES to pound the keys, loves to direct my hands in playing, and just laughs and laughs at the music we make

Speaking of music, she loves to sing and dance. Any time music is playing, she is swaying back and forth, stomping her feet, waving her arms, and saying "Do-do-do-do...dee-do-do-do."

She is such a destructive force... she can clear a shelf, that I didn't think she could reach, in seconds, she can climb up on things I didn't think she could reach... and I often call her 'Destructo-Girl'

With Cardinal baseball in full swing, Hubby has taught Tracey Ann how to say, "We're number 1!" with one finger up in the air. She sort of says, "Num one! Num one!"

She LOVES to giggle -- she laughs at herself, at other people, at jokes, when she's tickled, when other people are laughing... this girl loves to laugh

She has discovered the ice maker at my parents' house -- and she apparently loves ice cubes

We are officially done breastfeeding. I breastfed her through 16 months, but the past three weeks we have ended nursing.

Of all the words she uses on the daily basis, "No" is probably the most frequent. When we ask her questions, the answer is usually "no" -- which means, we have to be careful and not ask her questions that she does not have a "no" option. When she gets into something she's not supposed to touch, I run over to her and say, "No, no, no, no, no"... and then Tracey Ann immediately copies and says, "no, no, no, no, no."

Speaking of copying, she does everything we do... especially my mom. She is in love with Grammie, and Grammie is so animated in everything she says and does, the Tracey Ann follows her around like a little puppy.

Monday, June 22, 2015

My dad and his dad were nothing alike. I won't go into details... but they are VERY DIFFERENT MEN. That being said, some aspects of their lives where very similar.

My grandfather married my grandmother (Nangie), had three children (a son, and then twins, a son and daughter). The marriage was not good, and when Pearl Harbor was bombed, my grandfather enlisted in the Army as an Army Dentist and served in the South Pacific for the duration of the war. When the war ended, he did not come home, but instead moved to Europe where he began a new life and met a German woman, 21 years his junior. After a messy bi-continental divorce from Nangie, he married the German woman (our family came to call Grandmother Klara). My grandfather promised Grandmother Klara the world -- travel, wealth, security, treasure from around the world with one condition, he did not want any more children. Grandmother Klara accepted his terms and the two of them were married 45 years before my grandfather died at age 100.

Grandmother Klara lived another 13 years after grandfather died surrounded by remnants and knick-knacks from their life together -- Oriental rugs, Lenox crystal, Ivory sculptures, Hand-painted plates, Jeweled lamps and chandeliers from all over the world. And, her last years were very lonely. Since she and my grandfather never invested their time or their love in children or grandchildren, Grandmother Klara had a very isolated final decade of life with her treasures from their travels.

My father was married to a woman and had two children, my sister and brother, before divorcing their mother (an alcoholic) and gaining custody of both his children. A few years later, he met my mother, 21 years his junior, and he did not promise her the world. He promised her love, and one child of her own, if she wanted one. She did want one -- she would not have married my dad if he had not promised her baby of her own.

They agreed on one child, but my mom always said that I had been boy, she would have gone back to the negotiation table for the chance at another one.

My dad was 51 years old when I was born -- he didn't desire to have another 4 children with my mom -- but he was willing to bless her with one, and he invested all his love, time, and energy in their one child, me.

Now, my mom's one child (myself) has had one child, and my baby girl is the joy of my mom's world (not to mention my dad's). Being 21 years his junior, it is likely that my mother will outlive my father, and, unlike Grandmother's final years of life, my mom's final years (still many decades off) will not be at all lonely, but filled with love, time, and energy with me, my husband, and our children.

My father blessed my mom with one child, and as a result, her final years will be full of laughter, joy, and love, as opposed to my grandfather, who blessed his wife with knick-knacks, and her final years were full of dusting those earthly treasures. What a stark contrast of two lives stemming from one decision.

My husband and I are not wealthy. We work hard, and scrimp where we can, and do not have as much security as, somedays, I would prefer we have... but we adore our daughter and have never for a moment second-guessed her prescense in our life. We also hope to give her siblings in the future, and my husband and I are on the same page about our desire to expand our family, despite our growing bills and dwindling salaries. We live on faith and love... and not much else.

We know we wish to invest our lives, our time, and our resources in a family, and we fully expect to sacrifice items and experiences in order to invest in our family, and we expect to be blessed throughout our lives for those decisions.

The Bible says that three things are eternal: God, God's Word, and the souls of men...

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21